Thursday, March 17, 2011

Nokian Tyres Fastest on Ice: New World Record 331,61 km/h

The new world record for fastest car on ice was set by Nokian Tyres’ test driver Janne Laitinen who driven 331,610 km/h (206,05 mph) on the Gulf of Bothnia in Oulu, Finland. The record was broken on March 6th on a 14-kilometer ice track in freezing conditions. The world’s leading winter tyre manufacturer equipped the record-breaking car with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 studded tyres (255/35R20 97 T XL).

Extreme speeds emphasise the role of top-quality tyres; they are the vehicle’s only contact point with the driving surface. When driving at exceptionally high speeds on slippery ice, the tyres must provide maximal grip, excellent structural durability and handling properties that are in line with the car’s high power.

The acceleration formula is demanding. When a car moves at a speed of 331 km/h, the car covers over 92 metres in one second. The tyres are under immense pressure at these high speeds, and their diameter can increase by 15-20 mm. As the air resistance increases, more traction is needed in order to pick up speed.

Testing at high speeds in demanding conditions forms an important part of our winter tyre development. Testing our boundaries can teach us new things, which can then be reflected in all of our products, explains Matti Morri, Nokian Tyres’ Technical Customer Service Manager.

The Guinness World Records organisation outlines detailed rules for ice driving world records. The time for the one-kilometre distance is taken for driving in both directions of the track, and the world record time is the average of these two results. The vehicle takes a flying start. The ice has to be natural and it may not be roughed up or treated with any chemicals. The tyres must be commercially available and approved for road traffic in the country in which the record attempt takes place.

1 comments:

This is awesome news for Nokian tires! I seriously only buy Nokian tires because they have never done me wrong. They are the most reliable tires that I have ever used and I have heard this same thing from multiple people. Thank you for sharing this with us.